About Us

We started Brester to call our industry to a higher standard, and after more than 35 years we won’t settle for anything but excellence.

A purpose
higher than profit.

We take our work seriously, but our people make it matter. Whether it’s our clients, partners, families or employees, we’re big believers in valuing the people we interact with each day.

Valuing people is more than just being nice, it’s understanding what it looks like to treat others better than yourselves. We’ve learned that having this mentality goes a long way, both at home and at work. It’s why we like our people to make sure their families are taken care of before they leave for work each morning. And why we treat our building projects like they belong to us.

VALUES

Integrity

To us, this means doing the right thing when no one is looking. It’s not always convenient, but it’s our way of keeping ourselves accountable.

Excellence

Sound structures and clear communication make us excellent in our industry, but so does our employee retention and client loyalty.

Stewardship

Whether it’s money, time or the unique skills of our people, we want to make the best use of all the resources we’ve been given.

our history

Proudly serving the Midwest for more than 35 years

Our story starts with Ron and Don Brester, brothers who saw a need for high quality and fair prices in the construction industry. In 1982, the brothers began renovating the Russell Stover Candy Factory in Lincoln’s Historic Haymarket District, and Brester Construction came to life.

Business grew steadily over the years as Brester gained a reputation for integrity and quality in the construction industry. In 2009, Chris Brester stepped in as the company’s leader and continued his father and uncle’s legacy of high quality and fair prices while continuing to extend the values of honesty, integrity and stewardship to all areas of the business.

what our clients think

"We are so grateful that we chose you to complete the work. You all went above and beyond to ensure we were in our space by our deadline and that our finished product was high quality and something we could be proud of as an office. We spend most of our waking hours during the week in our office space and we could not be more excited about our finished space."

Tim McEwen, Senior Vice President of The McEwen Group

“The entire Brester Construction team, from Pre-Construction Estimator to Superintendent to Project Manager, has been a pleasure to work with. They consistently provide value well beyond what I typically find in a contractor. The relationship feels, and functions, more like a partnership than that of a typical owner contractor relationship.”

Gerald P. Kelly, Chief Operating Office at The Lund Company

“The experience of working with Brester has been simply exceptional. From the superintendents to the project managers to the owner, everyone is courteous, honest, diligent, proactive, cost and quality conscientious- simply said, they are professionals.”

Forrest Westin, Vice President of Agemark Senior Living Communities

“We have seen first-hand the quality of craftsmanship and exceptional service of Brester Construction. But it doesn’t stop with the completion of a project. Brester Construction has taken an active role in the mission of our organization and continues to find ways to join us in making a difference in our community.”

Heath Stukenholtz, Chief Development Officer, Tabitha

"We consider Brester Construction to be one of the top general contractors in the area. It is our opinion that this construction company is well managed and thorough and follows through with all of their promises."

James M. King, Gene Lilly Surety Bonds, Inc.

"The most exciting thing about watching Brester Construction grow is that they’ve kept the same core values that they had in the early years. We have, as an office, put a great priority on that. They’re service-oriented. They have the same level of care as they had when they were a 3- or 4-man shop."

John Sinclair, Sinclair Hille Architects

"There’s no question that I would hire [Brester Construction] again. Not only have I had the pleasure of doing a lot of partnership construction with Brester, they also have been the exclusive builder on several other projects that we own ourselves."

John Schleich, CIP

awards and recognition

Our work speaks for itself

We’re honored to complete each of our projects, but to be recognized for our work is truly a blessing. Our awards point to excellence and hard work, but we see them as a celebration of our people.

1995 First Lincoln Contractor to win Builder of The Month by Builder/Architect magazine

1999 BBB Integrity Award for Market Place Ethics

2000 BBB Finalist for National Torch Award

2003 AIA Honor Award for the construction of Sinclair Hille Architects office building